Tuesday 5 August 2014

Slow down. Confront. Accept. Commit. Admit. Heal.

I had a surprise guest blogger today.  Contributing to A Journey to Health, Wellness & Beauty in today's post is Christina Rosa Costantino, Registered Massage Therapist of Alternative Healing Massage Therapy in Vaughan, Ontario.  Today, Christina had an experience with a client which inspired the following words about 'commitment, confrontation, admittance, and healing':

"Although there is exciting events and GREAT BIG NEWS I want to share with you with regard to Alternative Healing, I want to take this opportunity to share what I have learned today.  Being in practice for almost a year now, I have prided myself in providing effective, professional and relaxing treatments, but also made, and continue to make, a conscious effort to exhibit a certain level of professionalism. Doing so has allowed me to develop an excellent rapport with my clients, provide an exceptional environment for my practice, and provide the means for me to learn and grow as a therapist.

As a massage therapist I constantly remind my clients to respect my time as much as I respect their time, not only to keep my day running smoothly but also to provide a safe and effective treatment. As my practice grows and I get busier, I feel as if I am accelerating through life on high speed just to get ahead. There is nothing wrong with getting ahead except when we do so uncontrollably and forget the simple principal of ‘practice what you preach’. As much as I rely on my clients, they rely on me. Booking an appointment is a commitment and keeping that commitment is key - not only for their rehabilitation but for my business as well (certain circumstances or emergencies exempted). 

Today I was confronted about an appointment I had moved, with short notice, and it made me realize that I put my needs in front of my client's. Although my passion and skill are evident in every treatment I perform, that one mistake could have be the deciding factor on that client returning and excelling in her rehabilitation. I am the type of person to tastefully address an issue to the best of my ability and the first person to admit when I am wrong. After we addressed and successfully resolved the situation I asked why their concern was not brought to my attention at that very moment and their answer was, `Because I am not great with confrontation`. This means their pain, disappointment and anger was held in until that very point which is unhealthy and gut wrenching. And all on my account.  This conflict and their answer was my inspiration to dedicate this post to voice my opinion on commitment, confrontation, admittance, and healing.

In my opinion, confrontation and admittance is quite difficult to come to terms with, and ironically, they are two important aspects of healing. Unfortunately, we live in a society of intense scrutiny often making it difficult to voice our opinions and concerns. This society somehow enables a fear of judgement and disappointment; my question is why? You are no less of a person nor exhibiting weakness by doing so. All you are doing is hanging onto anger, possibly hate, resentment, or misunderstanding. Hanging onto all of those things can cause anxiety, depression, a physically slower healing process, lack of concentration and much more. Confrontation does not have to be done in a negative manner. It has the potential to be an empowering experience to learn from.

Even though my experience stemmed from my personal conflict in my massage therapy practice the moral is applicable in every day life. There is always a way to acknowledge and deal with an issue and it will never be easy, but once we realize we will not be liked by everyone, accepted by everyone, agreeable with everyone, and that we cannot change everyone, we can heal. Here’s to the hope that sharing my experience and opinion can pull you from your “high speed” chase of life and enable you to stop, assess, learn and make adjustments for the better. Healing isn’t solely based on a physical manipulation it starts from within and manifests into your own expression."

Lovely words of wisdom, Christina.  Thank you for sharing your experience with my readers.  I know it's time for me to slow down, invest more time in my yoga practice, focus on my breathing, and ponder being more proactive and assertive, and just learn to say it like it is.  Learn more about Christina and her massage therapy practice here and please feel free to share your insights on conflict and healing.  

3 comments:

  1. That was a lovely post. I agree with not holding in your thoughts. Life is much simpler and healthier to speak our mind. It normally always results in situations being resolved before they become problematic for both parties. Thanks Christina!

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    1. You are right, Erum. We have to remember that confrontation isn't always negative and can help both parties find resolution and move forwards.

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